Sheet-metal freight-car door.



P. M. ELLIOTT.

SHEET METAL FREIGHT CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. I915.

Patented Apr. 8,1919.

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APPLICATION FILED MAY 8.1915.

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P. M. ELLIOTT.

SHEET METAL FREIGHT CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, I915.

Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3 P. MQELLIOTT. SHEET METAL FREIGHT CAR noon.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8| I9l5- Patented Apr. 8,1919.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4 VIII IIlarlllllll lllifi"' rill PERCY M. ELLIOTT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHEET-METAL FREIGHT-GAR DOOR. v

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Application filed May 8, 1915. Serial No. 26,768.

I '0 all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY M. Emo'rr, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Freight (Jar Doors, of which the following is a specification.

M invention relates in general to freight car oors, and more particularly to an improved reinforced sheet metal car door. The sliding doors of freight cars are, owing to their exposed positions at the sides of the cars, subjected to a great deal of wear and tear, and when made entirely of wood must be quite heavy in order to possess the requisite strength, and even then they are frequently injured through contact with adj acent objects. The use of metal as the material for freight car doors is open to the objections that the doors are rendered extremely heavy if made suificiently strong, while 1f so constructed as to be reasonably light they are-liable to be distorted when subjected to the inevitable rough usage.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an all-metal freight car door which will be light in weight, and at the same time possess adequate structural strength.

A further object of my invention is to provide a sheet metal door for freight cars which will be so reinforced by pressed sheet metal bars as to possess the requisite strength without being rendered heavier than the usual freight car door.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a reinforced sheet metal freight car door, in which the reinforcements will not only strengthen the doorvertically and horizontally, but will also cooperate w1th the edges of the sheet metal to provide strong peripheral guiding and weather proofing flanges.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an all-metal car door which will be simple in construction, lnexpensive in manufacture, and durable in use.

' M 'inventlon will be more fully disclosed hereinafter with reference to the accomj bars is formed of pressed sheet metal, an

panying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in several practical and eflicient forms, and, in which Fi re 1-,-is== a front elevational view of a freight car door embodying my invention;

F g. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification, in which the reinforcmg bars are on the inner surface, instead of on the outer surface, of the door;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, the central portion of the door being broken away;

F1g. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, taken on the line 4=4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing a modification of the structure of the top portion of the door to which the hangers are secured;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view on the -nate similar parts.

Referrin particularl to'the form of In invention i ustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 6, re erence letters A and B designate two sections of sheet metal, having their adjacent vertical edges overlapped, as shown by the reference characters a and b in Fig. 6. The

two sections A and B are'together of the desired size of the freight car door, and to-- gether form a covering for "closing the door opening when the door is in proper closed position relatively. thereto. shown only two sections ofsheet metal, I do. not desire to be limited thereto, as the door covering may be made in more sections havin their adjacent edges overlapped and secure together.

Reference'letters C, D and E designate horizontal reinforcing barsextending across the sections A and the bar 0 being located adjacent the top of the door, the bar D centrally of the door, and the bar E adj acent the bottom of the door.

Each of the said horizontal reinforcin comprises a centralweb spaced away from the adjacent surface'ofthe sections A and B of the sheet metal door covering, and oppositely projecting flanges which overlie and are riveted to the sheet metal covering;

While I have Reference letters F, G and H' indicatever I tical reinforcing bars. made of sheet metal cutting away portionsof the flanges of the bar which extends over the other, as shown in Fig. 8, or by pressing the side flanges over the overlying bar outwardly into the same plane as the web thereof, as shown in Fig. 9, so that the bar will not be weakened by having portions thereof cut away. The ends of'the central vertical and horizontal reinforcing bars are joined to the corresponding reinforcing bars, which are located adjacent the edges of the door, in any suit- .able manner. .The intersecting ends of the top and bottom, and front and rear reinforcing bars are also overlapped and tightly secured together, and also to the sheet metal door covering.

By referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that thereinforcing bar E, located adjacent the bOttOIIl of the door, is provided with a depending flange e which closely engages and is tightly riveted to the lower portion of the sheet metal covering of the door, so as to form a reinforced projection along the bottom of the'door to engage the usual bottom door guide brackets L secured to the car side below the plane of the dooropening.

By reference to the same figure it will be seen that the top reinforcing bar C is provided with an'upwardly pro ecting flange a, which closely engages the top portion of the sheet metal door covering, and is riveted thereto to form a strong flange at the top of the door to which hangers Iare secured.

Each hanger I is preferably formed with an offset portion K, of a contour to conform with the cross-section of the top reinforcing bar around which it extends, the same rivets which secure the reinforcing bar to the sheet metal covering also preferably passlng through and securing the hanger to the topof the door. The hanger is provided with a roller 2', which rests upon a suitable track J secured to the side of the car above the plane of the door opening. =The track J may be of any suitable construction, such, for instance, as a channel beam provided with a depending flange j extending between inner and outer guiding portions of the hanger I.

By reference to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the front reinforcing bar F is provided with a forwardly pro ecting flange 7, which closely engages and is riveted to the front portion of the sheet metal door covering,

thereby forming a reinforced flange at the front of the door to engage the door post M When-the door is closed. The door post M is preferably provided with a flange m between which and the door jamb P the reinforced front portion of the door extends when the door is closed, as shown in Fig. 6. By reference to the same figure, it will be seen that the vertical reinforcing bar H, located adjacent the rear edge of the door, is provided with a flange it closely engaging and riveted to the sheet metal door covering, and also with a rearwardly and inwardly projecting flange N, which forms a weather-strip on the door to engage a weather-strip 0 formed on the rear post 0. When the door is closed, the weather-strip N on the door closely en.- gages the weather-strip 0 at the rear of the door opening, so as to prevent the passage of foreign matter between the rear edge of the door and the rear door post when the door is closed.

In Figs. 2, 4 and 7 I have illustrated a modified form of my invention, in which the reinforcing bars are located on the inner surface of the sheet metal door opening, so that the outer surface of the door presents a smooth surface, whereas in the form of my lnvention above described the reinforcing bars are located on the outer surface of the sheet metal door opening, so that the smooth surface is on the inside of the car. In Figs. 2, 4 and 7 reference characters A and B indicate sections of sheet metal which form the door covering, and which are overlapped at the vertical center of the door, as shown in Fig. 7. While in this modified form of my invention the sheet metal door covering is shown as formed in two vertical sections, yet it will be understood that the sheet metal door coverin may be formed in more or less sections over apped and tightly secured together at their adjoinin edges.

Reference characters D and E designate the horizontal reinforcing beams located respectively at the top, center and bot tom of the door, while reference characters F, G and H indicate the vertical reinforcing bars located respectively at the front, center and rear of the sheet metal door covering. The top reinforcing bar C is so bent as to have a Z-shaped cross-section conforming to the cross-section of the sheet metal door covering at the top thereof, as

shown in, Fig. 4. The door hanger I conforms to the contour of the reinforced top portion of the door, and is riveted thereto, preferably by the same rivets as secure the top reinforcing bar to the sheet metal door covering.

The lower horizontal reinforcing bar E is also so bent as to have a Z-shaped crosssection along its lower edge to conform to a similar contour imparted to the bottom of the sheet metal door covering, so as to form a reinforced bottom flange e lyin in a ver-i tical plane inside of the outer sur ace of the"- door, to engage the usual bottom door" in The weather-strip at the rear of'the door is a? formed by bending rearwardly and inwardly the sheet metal reinforcing bar H, as indicated at N, which is adapted to coiiperate' with the weather-strip 0 on the door post 0 at the rear of the door opening. The rear vertical reinforcing-bar H is also provided with an inwardly projecting flange h, to reinforce the overlying inwardly projecting portion of the sheet, metaldoor coverm In Fig. 5 I have shown a slight modification in the cross-section of the top of the door, and in the contour of the hangers secured thereto. In said figure the to horizontal reinforcing bar C is not 0 y provided with an upwardly projecting vertical flange which closely engages the sheet metal door covering, but is also provided with an inwardly' projecting horizontal flange c which underlies the corresponding flange formed along the top of the sheet metal door covering. The door hanger R in this modification of my invention, merely engages the vertical outer surface of the door, and is not provided with ofi'set portions to extend in- Wardly with respect to the outer surface of the door, as is the case with.the door hangers shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

From the foregoing description it will be I observed that I have invented an improved sheet metal freight car door comprisinga sheet metal plate covering and vertical and horizontal intersecting reinforcing bars, which not only serve to contribute the necessary rigidity to'the door, but also cooperate with the peripheral portions of the sheet metal covering in forming reinforced flanges for guiding and supporting the door, and in forming weather-proof jolnts through engagement with the plane around the door opening, when the door is closed. It will be furtherobserved that the reinforcing bars extend continuously across each other at' their points of'intersection, and are so fashioned as to all lie in the same vertical plane either on the outside, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 6, or on the inside, as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 7, of the sheet metal door covering.

Iclaim:'- ,1. A freight car door comprisin a sheet metal covering, and a'plurality 0 vertical and horizontal intersecting reinforcing bars formed of pressed sheet metal and comprisg central web portions spaced away from the covering and extending across each other their points of intersection and side nges overlying and secured to said cover- 'etal covering, and vertical and horizontal einforcing bars formed of pressed sheet tal and comprising central web portions paced.. away from the covering and side it 'nges" overlying and secured to said coverdjacent the edges thereof, the ends of dsvertical and horizontal bars overlapping eachaotl1er1 -'and being secured to the corners of; said covering.

3. A- freight car door comprising a sheet metal covering, vertical and horizontal reinforcing bars formed of pressed sheet metal and comprising central web portions spaced away from the covering and side flanges overlying and secured to said covering adjacent the edges thereof, -and' intermediate vertical and horizontal reinforcing bars also comprising side flanges secured to said'cov- 'ering and central web portions spaced away from the covering andextending across each other and lapping at their ends the central '2. A freight car door comprising a sheet web portions of the reinforcing bars adjacent j the edges of said covering.

4. A freight car door comprising a sheet metal coverlng formed of a plurality of sections overlapped and secured together at their adjoining edges, reinforcing bars comprisingv central web portions spaced away from the covering and side flanges secured to said covering adjacent the edges thereof, and areinforcingbar also comprising a central web portion spaced away .from the covering and side flanges overlying and secured to the overlapped portions of the sections of said sheet metal covering and having the ends of its central Web portion overlying and secured to the web portions of the adjacent edge reinforcing bars.

5. A freight car door comprising a sheet metal covering, and a plurality of continuous reinforcing bars secured to said covering,

the said reinforcing bars each comprising a central web portion spaced away from the covering and, secured directly to the-central Web portions of other bars at intersecting points and side flanges overlying and secured to the said covering,

6. A freight car door comprising a sheet metal covering, an inwardly projecting flange on said covering around the edges of the door integral therewith, and reinforcing bars formed of pressed sheet metal secured to the inner surface of said covering adjacent the edges thereof, the said reinforcing. bars having inwardly projecting flanges at then outer edges underlyingand reinforc-- ing said inwardly projecting flanges on the sheet metal covering around the edges of the door. i

7. A freight car door comprising a sheet metal covering, Vertical and horizontal reinforcing bars formed of pressed sheet metal and secured to the inner surface of said covering adjacent the edges thereof, intermediate vertical and horizontal reinforcing bars secured to the inner surface. of said covering extending across each other and lapping at their ends the reinforcing bars adjacent the edges of said covering, the said reinforcing bars adjacent the edges of the covering having flanges at their outer edges 15 outer edge overlying and reinforced by the 20 said flanges of the reinforcing bars.

- In testimony whereof I have subscribed my name.

PERCY M. ELLIOTT. Witnesses:

GEo. L. WILKINSON, HENRY'A. PARKS. 

